Norfolk State earned an impressive MEAC win on Monday evening, taking down North Carolina Central by a score of 80-74. The Eagles went into halftime with a 30-26 lead, but were unable to hang on, as they were outscored by 10 points in the second half.
Jamarii Thomas was electric in this one, scoring 28 points to lead the way for Norfolk State. He hit 16 of his 19 free throw attempts/ Thomas was not the sole contributor though. The Spartans’ offense delivered from many fronts, pouring in 1.15 points per possession on 48% shooting from the field. Their aggressive play paid off, as they drew 22 fouls on the defense, which led to 28 points on 76% shooting from the charity stripe.
The Eagles played well offensively in this one. They averaged 1.03 points per possession on 49% shooting from the field. Po’Boigh King led the way, putting up 18 points to go along with five boards. Fred Cleveland Jr. also contributed, adding another 14 points.
- The Norfolk State defense buoyed its offense, scoring 24 points off of 17 North Carolina Central turnovers
- North Carolina Central was plagued by 10 unforced turnovers (14% of possessions)
- 3,525 cheering fans showed up to Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall in attendance
The win evened the score for Norfolk State against NCCU as it avenged a 60-58 loss it suffered in Durham five weeks ago. NSU is now 6-2 in MEAC play, the best record in the league.
Each team has its next game on Feb. 24. Norfolk State takes on struggling Coppin State. at Physical Education Complex, where the Spartans will look for a repeat of their success here this evening. Meanwhile, North Carolina Central will be thankful to return home when they take on UMES at McDougald-McLendon Arena.
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